The invention relates generally to wheelchairs, and more particularly, to a wheelchair having pivotal assemblies for traversing obstacles such as curbs and the like.
Wheelchairs are an important means of transportation for a significant portion of society. Whether manual or powered, wheelchairs provide an important degree of independence for those they assist. However, this degree of independence can be limited if the wheelchair is required to traverse obstacles such as, for example, curbs that are commonly present at sidewalks, driveways, and other paved surface interfaces.
In this regard, most wheelchairs have front and rear casters to stabilize the chair from tipping forward or backward and to ensure that the drive wheels are always in contact with the ground. One such wheelchair is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,404 to Garin. On such wheelchairs, the caster wheels are typically much smaller than the driving wheels and located both forward and rear of the drive wheels. Though this configuration provided the wheelchair with greater stability, it made it difficult for such wheelchairs to climb over obstacles such as, for example, curbs or the like, because the front casters could not be driven over the obstacle due to their small size and constant contact with the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,473 to Degonda et al. describes a wheelchair having front and rear casters similar to Garin and a pair of additional forward lift wheels. The lift wheels are positioned off the ground and slightly forward of the front caster. Configured as such, the lift wheels first engage a curb and cause the wheelchair to tip backwards. As the wheelchair tips backwards, the front caster raises off the ground to a height so that it either clears the curb or can be driven over the curb.
While Degonda et al. addressed the need of managing a front caster while traversing an obstacle such as a curb, Degonda et al. is disadvantageous in that additional wheels (i.e., lift wheels) must be added to the wheelchair. Hence, it is desirable to provide a wheelchair that does not require additional lift wheels or other similar type mechanisms to raise a front caster off the ground to a height so that the caster either clears an obstacle or can be driven over the obstacle.
According to a general embodiment of the present invention, a wheelchair for traversing obstacles is provided. The wheelchair includes, for example, a frame, a pivoting assembly, and a drive assembly. The pivoting assembly has at least one pivot arm having a first portion, second portion and third portion. The first portion is pivotally coupled to the frame. The second portion has at least one caster attached thereto. The drive assembly is coupled to the third portion of the pivot arm. In operation, the pivot arm pivots in response to the forces generated by the drive assembly, which is coupled to the pivot arm. As used herein, when two objects are described as being coupled or attached, it is applicants"" intention to include both direct coupling (i.e., attachment) between the described components and indirect coupling (i.e., attachment) between the described components such as through one or more intermediary components.
According to a more specific embodiment of the present invention, a wheelchair for traversing obstacles having for example, a frame and a seat for seating a passenger are provided. Pivotally coupled to the frame are a pair of pivot arms. Each pivot arm has a first distal portion, a second distal portion, and a pivotal connection between the first and second distal portions for pivotally coupling the pivot arm to the frame. A motor is coupled to the first distal portion and a front caster is coupled to the second distal portion of each pivot arm. A drive wheel is coupled to each motor for translating the motor""s rotational energy to the ground. At least one rear caster is coupled to the frame to provide for rear stability. By accelerating the wheelchair forward, the drive wheels generate a moment causing each pivot arm to pivot or rotate thereby raising the front casters to a height sufficient to traverse the obstacle.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a second embodiment of a obstacle traversing wheelchair is provided. The second embodiment includes, for example, a frame and a seat for seating a passenger. Pivotally coupled to the frame are a pair of pivot arms having casters connected thereto. Each pivot arm has a first distal portion and a second distal portion that acts as a pivotal connection, coupling the arm to the frame. A motor is pivotally coupled to each pivot arm at a location between the first and second distal portions. The pivotal coupling between the motor and the pivot arm is further influenced by a resilient member providing suspension between the motor and pivot arm. The motor is preferably a gearless, brushless, direct-drive motor although brush-type motors with transmissions can also be used. A front resilient assembly is coupled to the frame and the motor""s pivotal connection to the pivot arm so as to provide a constant resilient force between the frame, the motor""s pivotal connection, and the arm.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of traversing one or more obstacles is provided. The method includes, for example, accelerating a wheelchair toward the one or more obstacles and, through such accelerating, causing a raising of one or more front casters by pivoting an arm that is coupled to the one or more front casters so that the one or more front casters are raised to a height sufficient for the one or more front casters to traverse the obstacle. The step of pivoting the arm coupled to the one or more front casters includes, for example, the step of generating a moment associated with the pivot arm causing the pivot arm to rotate in the direction of raising the one or more front casters. The height by which the front casters must be raised to traverse an obstacle varies from raising the front casters to a height where their axles are just above the height of the obstacle to raising the front casters to a height where the casters"" lower extremities are above the height of the obstacle. In the case where the front casters are raised to a height where their axles are just above the height of the obstacle, the wheelchair engages the front casters with the obstacle and drives the front casters there over.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of descending curb-like obstacles is also provided. In particular, the present invention lowers the front casters over a curb onto the new lower elevation when descending to provide forward stability for a wheelchair while the drive wheels and rear caster(s) are still on higher curb elevation. As the drive wheels continue over the curb and contact the new lower elevation forward stability is still maintained by virtue of the front casters while the rear caster is still on the higher curb elevation.
It is, therefore, an advantage of the present invention to provide a cost-efficient wheelchair that can traverse one or more curb-like obstacles.
It is, therefore, another advantage of the present invention to provide a mid-wheel drive wheelchair with pivotable front caster assemblies.
It is, therefore, a further advantage of the present invention to provide a torque-based method of raising the front casters of a wheelchair for traversing curb-like obstacles.